Hamilton: “No mistakes were made, everyone was calm”

It's hard to be surprised when you see the results of the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix. SATURDAY, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was unattainable, as it had already been during the three previous free practice sessions at Suzuka. The Englishman racked up the poles, and reached the record number of 80 poles.

JUMP ONBOARD: @LewisHamilton's pole lap is here

Watch as man and machine turn 18 corners into mechanical poetry, following the timeless curves of this mythic racing circuit #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/2VNgdkHKdH

— Formula 1 (@F1) 6th October, 2018

“It’s an incredible year, but this number, I never thought I would reach it, explained the quadruple world champion at a press conference. It reminds me of all the beautiful seasons I have experienced, some of which were McLaren. I must have collected around twenty there (27 in reality).

There were some periods when we didn't have the car to win the championship, but the last six years with Mercedes have been fantastic, he continues. I am so grateful for the work of each team member. Their impeccable work allows me to make the best use of my abilities. »

My 80th Pole! I’m taken back by this achievement and can’t thank all of my fans for the support you give me each race weekend. Always so grateful of the incredible work by everyone in our team for making this possible. It’s an honor to race for Mercedes @MercedesAMGF1 #pole pic.twitter.com/EXYKEIbBji

- Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 6th October, 2018

The accuracy of the strategy allowed Lewis Hamilton not to be trapped by the return of rain in Q3. Where the Ferrari were betting on intermediate rubbers, he remained on super soft tires. “The team did a remarkable job of timing. No mistakes were made, everyone was calm. »

Lewis Hamilton admits he was “very difficult to know if the track was drying or getting wetter.” “We hadn’t done any laps in the rain this week. But we were all in the same boat. I think Ferrari's decision was not good. »